Cubs' biggest strength in 2024 will still be a huge offseason focus

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Watching Justin Steele crumple to the ground on Opening Night in Texas, the vibes were in shambles. If you'd have told me that evening that the Chicago Cubs starting rotation would prove to be a major strength for the team, I'd have had some serious doubts.

Despite Steele missing more than a month, the rotation answered the call time and time again, keeping the team afloat even as the offense went into a two-month cold spell that ultimately doomed their season. Considering that, you might think Jed Hoyer and Carter Hawkins will focus elsewhere this offseason. But you'd be mistaken.

The team will reportedly explore rotation upgrades via trade and free agency this winter. Does that mean fans should start saving for a Corbin Burnes jersey? Probably not. But multiple options in the tier below him could make sense for a Cubs team looking to punch its ticket to the postseason in 2025.

We'll monitor the Cubs rumors all winter long. But before the offseason officially begins this week with the conclusion of the World Series, let's look at the arms set to return as members of the rotation next year.

Where would the Cubs be without Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele?

On the heels of the news the team had signed Shota Imanaga, the excitement in the ballroom during Cubs Convention player introductions was palpable - and saying he lived up to the hype doesn't come close to doing it justice. Imanaga racked up 173 1/3 frames with a 2.91 ERA, leading all Cubs starters in ERA, innings pitched and strikeouts. Despite a fairly pedestrian velocity on his fastball, he found a ton of success with the pitch and paired it well with an elite splitter for a powerful 1-2 punch.

It's a fair question to ask if we should expect some sort of regression from Imanaga as the league further adjusts to him in year two. He overcame a below-average home run rate and a decent amount of hard contact this season, but adding some insurance alongside him would give the Cubs a nice safety net heading into 2025.

Meanwhile, if you had doubts about Justin Steele's breakout 2023 season, he did everything in his power to address them this year. The gritty left-hander not only backed up his numbers on the mound but delivered a fiery presence this team seemed to lack during its first-half tailspin.

Steele made 24 starts, working to a 3.07 ERA and career-best 1.099 WHIP, giving manager Craig Counsell a powerful pair of left-handers atop the rotation. He's been among the most dominant starting pitchers in the league the last two years - even drawing comparisons to Yankees ace Gerrit Cole.

Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad both played key roles for Chicago

Jameson Taillon's rough start to his Cubs career is now little more than a distant memory. The veteran right-hander closed out 2023 on a high note and wasted no time carrying that trend throughout the 2024 campaign, making 28 starts and working to a 3.92 FIP that's perfectly in-line with his career mark of 3.93.

If all goes according to plan, Taillon will slot into the fourth or fifth spot in the Cubs' rotation next year, giving Chicago one of the deepest staffs in the league. He's capable of pitching in big-time games and having someone of his caliber toward the back of the rotation would bode well for the team's hope of winning its first division crown since 2020 - and first in a full season since 2017.

While he's certainly got a leg up on several of his teammates, Javier Assad feels best suited for a swingman role moving forward. He pretty evidently wore down as the year progressed, blowing past his previous career-high in innings as the team weathered a number of pitching injuries.

Assad reportedly has an 'inside track' on a rotation spot, pending the outcome of the front office's offseason moves - but no one (besides maybe Assad himself) would be upset if he got pushed out of the starting mix because Hoyer went out and added a pair of proven arms to slot in behind Imanaga, Steele and Taillon.

Other familiar faces who could play a role at some point in the year

We already know the Cubs aren't expecting Ben Brown to play a role in the starting rotation early next season. The right-hander suffered a neck injury back in June and it lingered, causing issues to the point it ended his season in August. At this point, the hope is simply that he comes back and is feeling good when pitchers and catchers report to camp in four months' time.

Top pitching prospect Cade Horton is also a major question mark after an injury-shortened 2024 campaign. He's likely ticketed for Iowa, where he made four ineffective starts this year before getting shut down.

With Kyle Hendricks likely out of the picture after more than a decade in the Cubs starting rotation, left-hander Jordan Wicks and righty Hayden Wesneski will likely get some starts throughout the year, although the latter has a good deal of experience in the pen, as well. Caleb Kilian is another name to keep an eye on, after he split time between the pen and rotation at Triple-A.

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Where would the Cubs be without Shota Imanaga and Justin Steele?

Jameson Taillon, Javier Assad both played key roles for Chicago

Other familiar faces who could play a role at some point in the year

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